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BERKELEY – Head coach Sonny Dykes announced Cal’s 22-player 2014 recruiting class Wednesday on National Signing Day. Highlighted by six prep All-Americans, the group also includes six student-athletes previously announced December 18.

“We are proud of this class and the work that our coaching and support staffs put in to get it together,” Dykes said. “We went and competed against some really good football programs for the players in this recruiting class.”

Brown and Leniu played in the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl following their senior seasons, while Enwere and Rubenzer were in the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl with all four making significant contributions to winning teams. Downs (U.S. Army All-American Bowl) and Watson (Offense-Defense All-American Bowl) did not play in the games they were selected for due to injury. Leniu, Rubenzer and Watson were also honorable mention Parade All-Americans.

Brown had the top recruiting ratings in the class, earning five stars from PrepStarSoCal and four from each of the other primary recruiting services. Downs, Leniu and Watson were all four-star recruits.

Rubenzer and Watson were record setters, while Enwere and Leniu joined them in posting huge numbers.

Rubenzer was Arizona’s Gatorade Player of the Year for football after setting a national high school record for career completion percentage (496-of-689, 71.9%) and Arizona state career records for passing yards (9,645) and touchdown passes (132) while throwing only 13 interceptions. He also passed for Arizona state single-season records of 4,201 yards and 61 touchdowns with just three picks as a senior, completing 227-of-308 passes (73.7%).

Watson was a first-team All-State selection in his senior campaign after registering a single-season school record with 3,734 rushing yards and tying another with 50 touchdowns on the ground. He led all California players in both rushing yards and attempts (417), ranking second nationally in both categories. Watson finished his career with 5,244 rushing yards and 72 touchdowns on the ground.

Enwere combined to rush for 3,091 yards during his junior and senior campaigns, and Leniu finished his career with 526 tackles including 238 as a senior to rank third in California and sixth nationally.

Rubenzer won three state titles (2010, 2011, 2013), while Leniu was on a state championship team as a senior that finished 16-0 and knocked off perennial power De La Salle in the final. Watson’s teams combined for a 52-8 overall record and a 24-0 Big VIII League mark during his four varsity seasons, winning Southern Section Inland Division titles three of four campaigns.

“You want to recruit winning players from winning programs,” Dykes said. “You go right down the list with these guys and they’ve all been on quality football teams. Anytime you can add players to your program that have been successful at a high level, know what it’s like to be successful, and know what it takes to win that’s a positive.”

“Ultimately what makes you a good football team is your ability to be productive,” Dykes added. “When you look at the numbers many of these guys have produced against high quality competition, for those guys to be able to do that at the level they produced against the competition they produced it against is the most important thing.”

Cal’s class is currently ranked as high as No. 43 nationally by Scout, while the Bears check in at No. 45 according to Rivals, and No. 48 by both MaxPreps and 247Sports. Rankings are subject to change.

All told, Cal’s 21-player class includes 11 defensive players, nine on the offensive side of the ball and one athlete.

The Bears did not sign a specialist in the class but senior LS John Sheperdson has been awarded a scholarship.

Cal’s signing class has 15 players from California, while two hail from both Arizona and Texas, and one each from Mississippi, Pennsylvania and Washington.

“California is our home and recruiting always begins in your own backyard,” Dykes said. “We have to continue to make inroads in the Bay Area. It starts there and extends to Southern California and all over the state. It makes sense to do that, but we also have to branch out some. I thought we had some good success in places like Arizona and Texas, and I think we’ll continue to become a bigger brand in those areas as we have a little more success.”

Cal spring football practice sessions at Kabam Field at California Memorial Stadium will begin the week of March 31 and conclude with the 2014 Cal Football Spring Game to be televised live by the Pac-12 Networks on Saturday, April 26 (11 a.m. PT). Admission is free for the annual event that gives thousands of Cal fans a rare opportunity to meet and greet Golden Bear football players and coaches following the game. Former Cal football players have attended the event in the past, including the 2013 contest when NFL All-Pro and Super Bowl XLVIII winner Marshawn Lynch made a surprise appearance. A series of activities in conjunction with the 2014 spring game and practices will be announced at a later time, along with the remainder of the team’s 2014 spring football schedule.

Cal’s 2014 football regular-season schedule features six games at Kabam Field at California Memorial Stadium and a Friday match-up against Oregon that will be the first collegiate football game at the new Levi’s® Stadium in Santa Clara on Oct. 24. Cal will host Sacramento State (Sept. 6), Colorado (Sept. 27), Washington (Oct. 11, Alumni & Family Weekend/Homecoming), UCLA (Oct. 18), Stanford (Nov. 22) and BYU (Nov. 29) in Berkeley. The Bears visit Northwestern (Aug. 31), Arizona (Sept. 20), Washington State (Oct. 4), Oregon State (Nov. 1) and USC (Nov. 13), with the tilt against the Trojans on a Thursday night.

Current season ticket holders can renew their tickets until the deadline of Friday, Feb. 21. Fans looking to become new season-ticket holders for 2014 can place a $100 per seat deposit now. Visit CalBears.com or call (800) GO-BEARS for more information or to purchase season tickets.

Following Cal’s Signing Day activities, the Pac-12 Networks will air a two-hour show Wednesday beginning at 4:30 p.m. PT, which will recap the activities around the league. Mike Yam, Rick Neuheisel and Yogi Roth will break down National Signing Day with an in-depth look at the day’s events. Pac-12.com will also feature coverage all day.